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iPray app gives Book of Common Prayer
OKLAHOMA CITY – An iPhone application called iPray has been developed to give users of the traditional Book of Common Prayer a convenient and intuitive way to read the prayers and Scripture appointed for the daily offices of the church’s liturgical calendar. The app also gives those not familiar with a more regimented form of spiritual discipline an easy introduction to structured daily prayer and Bible reading.
iPray presents the Scripture readings and the appropriate daily prayers referenced in the Book of Common Prayer in one easy-to-use format according to the traditional liturgical calendar of seasons, feast days and commemorations of the saints. In the course of praying these daily offices through the medium of this app, one enters into the honored tradition of the sanctification of time in prayer and the spiritual digestion of God’s word written.
“Before this app was developed, one would need to refer to the church’s calendar, look up the lessons in the lectionary and find the appropriate psalms for the day in the psalter,” said the Rev. Patrick Bright, rector at All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City. “With iPray, all the appointed lessons of Scripture, psalms and prayers particular to the day are loaded automatically in this easy to use and understand application.”
Four daily prayer offices are displayed based on the liturgical calendar and the time of day, including Morning Prayer, Midday Prayers, Evening Prayer and Compline.
iPray is modeled after the Church of England’s 1662 Book of Common Prayer and based on the ancient practice of the Church as refined by the English Reformation.
“The Book of Common Prayer, unlike books of prayers, contains the words of structured, liturgical services of worship,” Bright said. “It provides an ordered method for Christians to read the Bible together on a daily basis through the year following a theological structure.”
First compiled in 1549, the Prayer Book was designed to provide a form of worship that exposed English-speaking Christians to the Bible and to its teachings and gave them forms of worship to express a Biblical faith.
“The book is informed by 15 previous centuries of Christian faith and worship,” Bright said. “These are the prayers of the saints, tested by time and proving their worth through countless generations. The Prayer Book provides a precious stability for our faith in a world of constant change, and an ancient wisdom that outlasts the swings of fad and fashion.”
The app was developed by Phase2 Interactive of Oklahoma City and is supported by the Anglican Foundation of All Souls’ Church of Oklahoma City with financial contributions from Kimray Inc. CEO David Hill. The app is available through the iTunes Store.